Sneaky Pete

[TheVirus]

It just came to my attention, or well it just dawned on me that most great shafts (predators, ob1 etc) have their little icon on the shaft.... Whats the point of sneaky petes if you cant really be sneaky with them haha.... plus i'm pretty sure any beginner would be able to tell its a sneaky pete...

any comments?

 

[ctyhntr]

The term sneaky pete originally applied to a one piece house cue that was cut into two pieces for easier transport and concealment of its identity. This was during an era when most players used house cues (Brunswick Titlists). It was unusual for a casual player to own a cue. So, if you walked with a leather satchel carrying your own cue (Willie Hoppe or Rambow), you were considered a really good player, like Fast Eddie from The Hustler.

Nowadays, its simply a encompassing marketing term used to stroke your ego, and romanticize the imagined past. In the AZ forsale section, I've seen the term sneaky pete used to refer to any plain basic cues, or a lightly adorned cue as a fancy sneaky pete.

 

[TheVirus]

The term sneaky pete originally applied to a one piece house cue that was cut into two pieces for easier transport and concealment of its identity. This was during an era when most players used house cues (Brunswick Titlists). It was unusual for a casual player to own a cue. So, if you walked with a leather satchel carrying your own cue (Willie Hoppe or Rambow), you were considered a really good player, like Fast Eddie from The Hustler.

Nowadays, its simply a encompassing marketing term used to stroke your ego, and romanticize the imagined past. In the AZ forsale section, I've seen the term sneaky pete used to refer to any plain basic cues, or a lightly adorned cue as a fancy sneaky pete.

Thanks broski =]

 

[Rethunk]

ctyhntr's comments agree with what I've heard. Nowadays "sneaky pete" seems to be a catch-all terms for cues with minimal ornamentation, and the definition of "minimal" depends on the cue maker. I doubt any but the greenest player would see a Josey sneaky pete and think it's a cheap house cue.

Then again, casual players won't necessarily notice details that regular players will see from across the room. A beginner who has to hit a few balls with a house cue before realizing that the leather tip is missing could pick up your non-sneaky Sneaky Pete even if the shaft has a black ring and a Predator logo.

My Scruggs from the 90's looks like a house cue, though the colors of the shaft and butt don't quite match. A buddy of mine has a Scruggs sneaky pete with a better color match, and you have to look very closely to see the joint line.

The joint on my cue is a bit harder to see when the cue's filthy with chalk dust, but even in this crappy photo you can see the color difference between the shaft and the butt. When I used a Predator 314 with the butt, some folks would still confuse it for a house cue.

The "TS" should be a giveaway, but then "TS" would be meaningless to a lot of people.

Sneaky petes of recent years seem to be less sneaky.